Applying to NAVCANADA and have a million questions
First post on Pprune though I've been lurking for awhile, so hopefully I'll be able to get through without an etiquette violation. I did look for previous threads on NAVCANADA, but didn't see anything about the ab-initio process, just the experienced controller track.
Just a little background: I do not come from an aviation background at all; I am actually (though Canadian) currently pursuing a doctorate at a major American university. Over the past couple of years I've become more and more profoundly disenchanted with the world of academia and, after much soul-searching, have decided that it's just not where I want to be (though I do still intend to finish my dissertation at some point -- I'm at an advanced enough stage, with all the coursework/exams and a substantial part of the diss done, that I could do the rest at some distance, and chip away at it over a couple of years). At the same time, I discovered aviation and ATC a couple of years ago, and progressively fell in love with the latter in particular. After many many conversations with controllers, and a couple of very lucky and extremely fulfilling site visits to major facilities that I won't mention (since technically as a non-citizen I shouldn't have been allowed in -- I have some very good friends), I know that this is what I want to do.
Now, of course, it's a matter of seeing whether it's possible. I actually have most of the same questions with which you kind folks have dealt at considerable length in the NATS thread, just in a different context I suppose. I would really be grateful if any NAVCANADA controllers (particularly recent hires who know about the current training situation etc.) would allow me to pose them some questions by email.
All I know right now is that I have an aptitude testing session scheduled for early November back in my hometown, to be followed (if results are good), with an interview, and then a possible offer of training. I have told them I could start as soon as January 2005. But because I live in the USA and almost everyone I know is with the FAA, not NAVCANADA, I have no idea what the latter process is like. I've only talked to a few people who know things secondhand, and they've said everything from "you'll get in easily, they are desperate for people" to "don't quit your day job, you'll be on a waiting list forever" (sounds like the horror stories here about 3-year NATS waits) to "hmm, you're kind of getting up there and I don't know if they have an age cap" (I'm 28, and know about the FAA and NATS age caps, but there's nothing about it on the NAVCANADA site) to "well, they'll take you, but you'll probably end up at Churchill FSS or (insert other remote location here)" (my preference would be radar and ideally approach control, but I realize one has to work one's way up).
So, what am I in for? How excited should I allow myself to get that this might actually pan out? Should I start getting ready to have "the talk" with various family members (who know little to nothing about my interest in aviation since I've been several hundred miles away for the past six years, so they are NOT at all prepared to hear that I'm chucking up my Ph.D. to go off and be an air traffic controller)? How can I ace these tests/interviews and show the NAVCANADA people that I can and will succeed at this job?
Thanks for reading. I'll be extremely grateful for any advice.